As if overnight, there are more May flowers in New York City than I could possible count, and among them is the beautiful Foxglove. Its sweeping lines and delicate bloom inspired this simple stockinette stitch vest.
I’m especially excited by the intuitive way I constructed this Foxglove Vest. It just seemed to blossom in my hands! To make it, you work in one piece from the bottom up. Along the way you use short rows to shape a subtle curved hem; you graft the shawl collar stitches together at the back neck; and you tack the right front over the left front to create a pullover with the look of a casual cardigan. Thoughtfully placed neckline and armhole decreases give the finished vest a polished look.
Purl Soho’s single ply Flax Down highlights the structure of this garment, and its sumptuous alpaca, wool, and linen blend lends a gentle drape. Flax Down comes in a range of colors from soft Foxglove purples through shades of gray (and more!). I chose Lavender Opal, a new addition to our palette and a beautiful ode to spring flowers! -Laura
21 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
32 (36, 39 ?, 43 ?, 47)
EASE: This garment is designed with a 2- to 4-inch ease around the chest.
SAMPLE: The sample pictured here is size 36 inches modeled with 3 inches of ease.
Wrp-t (wrap and turn):
Slip:
Cast 182 (202, 222, 242, 262) stitches onto the longer circular needles.
Do not join; work back and forth in rows.
NOTE: For this portion of the pattern, you will be working back and forth in short rows, turning the work partway through each row rather than continuing to the end of the row. For extra help, see both the Notes section and our Short Rows Tutorial.
Row 1 (wrong side): Purl to end of row.
Row 2 (right side): [Slip 1 knitwise (see Notes)] 2 times, k15 (20, 17, 22, 19), wrap and turn (wrp-t; see Notes).
Row 3: Purl to end of row.
Row 4: [Slip 1 knitwise] 2 times, knit to wrapped stitch, work wrapped stitch with its wrap, k3 (3, 4, 4, 5), wrp-t.
Repeat Rows 3 and 4 seven more times.
Repeat Row 3 one more time.
Next Row (right side): Knit to wrapped stitch, work wrapped stitch with its wrap, knit to end of row.
NOTE: You will continue to work in short rows for this portion of the pattern.
Row 1 (wrong side): [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, p15 (20, 17, 22, 19), wrp-t.
Row 2 (right side): Knit to end of row.
Row 3: [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, purl to wrapped stitch, work wrapped stitch with its wrap, p3 (3, 4, 4, 5), wrp-t.
Repeat Rows 2 and 3 seven more times.
Repeat Row 2 one more time.
Next Row (wrong side): [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, purl to wrapped stitch, work wrapped stitch with its wrap, purl to end of row.
Continue in stockinette stitch with the knit-in I-cord edge as follows:
Row 1 (right side): [Slip 1 knitwise] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 2 (wrong side): [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, purl to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 11 ? (12, 12 ?, 13 ?, 13 ?) inches from cast-on edge (measured at center back), ending with a wrong side row.
Row 1 (right side): [Slip 1 knitwise] 2 times, k42 (47, 51, 55, 59), place previous 44 (49, 53, 57, 61) stitches on stitch holder or scrap yarn for Right Front; bind off the next 10 (10, 12, 14, 16) stitches for Right Underarm; k73 (83, 91, 99, 107), place previous 74 (84, 92, 100, 108) stitches on stitch holder or scrap yarn for Back; bind off the next 10 (10, 12, 14, 16) stitches for Left Underarm, knit to end of row. [44 (49, 53, 57, 61) stitches remain for Left Front]
NOTE: You may find it more comfortable to work the Left Front and Right Front on the shorter circular needles.
Next Row (wrong side): [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, purl to end of row.
Decrease Row 1 (right side): K4, ssk, knit to end of row. [1 stitch decreased]
Decrease Row 2: [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, purl to last 6 stitches, p2tog tbl, p4. [1 stitch decreased]
Repeat Decrease Rows 1 and 2 zero (one, one, one, two) more times. [42 (45, 49, 53, 55) stitches remain]
Repeat Decrease Row 1. [41 (44, 48, 52, 54) stitches remain]
Next Row (wrong side): [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, purl to end of row.
Repeat Decrease Row 1 every right side row 1 (1, 2, 4, 4) more time(s), ending with a right side row. [40 (43, 46, 48, 50) stitches remain]
Next Row (wrong side): [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, p15, place marker, purl to end of row.
Decrease Row 1 (right side): Knit to 2 stitches before marker, k2tog, slip marker, knit to end of row. [1 stitch decreased]
Row 2: [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, purl to end of row.
Row 3: Knit to end of row.
Row 4: Repeat Row 2.
Repeat Rows 1-4 seven (eight, nine, nine, ten) more times. [32 (34, 36, 38, 39) stitches remain]
Row 1 (right side): Knit to end of row.
Row 2 (wrong side): [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, purl to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 7 ? (8, 8 ?, 9, 9 ?) inches from the Underarm, ending with a wrong side row.
Next Row (right side): Knit to 1 stitch before marker, place previous 14 (16, 18, 20, 21) stitches on stitch holder or scrap yarn for Front Left Shoulder, k1, remove marker, knit to end of row. [18 stitches remain]
Row 1 (wrong side): [Slip 1 purlwise] 2 times, purl to end of row.
Row 2 (right side): Knit to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 3 ? (3 ?, 4, 4, 4 ?) inches from on-hold Left Shoulder stitches, ending with a wrong side row.
Cut yarn, leaving a 20-inch tail.
Place Left Collar stitches on stitch holder or scrap yarn and set aside.
Slip 44 (49, 53, 57, 61) on-hold Right Front stitches onto circular needles. Join yarn to wrong side and…
Next Row (wrong side): Purl to end of row.
Decrease Row 1 (right side): [Slip 1 knitwise] 2 times, knit to last 6 stitches, k2tog, k4. [1 stitch decreased]
Decrease Row 2: P4, p2tog, purl to end of row. [1 stitch decreased]
Repeat Decrease Rows 1 and 2 zero (one, one, one, two) more times. [42 (45, 49, 53, 55) stitches remain]
Repeat Decrease Row 1. [41 (44, 48, 52, 54) stitches remain]
Next Row (wrong side): Purl to end of row.
Repeat Decrease Row 1 every right side row 1 (1, 2, 4, 4) more time(s), ending with a right side row. [40 (43, 46, 48, 50) stitches remain]
Next Row (wrong side): P23 (26, 29, 31, 33), place marker, purl to end of row.
Decrease Row 1 (right side): [Slip 1 knitwise] 2 times, knit to marker, slip marker, ssk, knit to end of row. [1 stitch decreased]
Row 2: Purl to end of row.
Row 3: [Slip 1 knitwise] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 4: Repeat Row 2.
Repeat Rows 1-4 seven (eight, nine, nine, ten) more times. [32 (34, 36, 38, 39) stitches remain]
Row 1 (right side): [Slip 1 knitwise] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 2 (wrong side): Purl to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 7 ? (8, 8 ?, 9, 9 ?) inches from the Underarm, ending with a right side row.
Next Row (wrong side): Purl to 1 stitch before marker, place previous 14 (16, 18, 20, 21) stitches on stitch holder or scrap yarn for Front Right Shoulder, p1, remove marker, purl to end of row. [18 stitches remain]
Row 1 (right side): [Slip 1 knitwise] 2 times, knit to end of row.
Row 2 (wrong side): Purl to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 3 ? (3 ?, 4, 4, 4 ?) inches from on-hold Right
Shoulder stitches, ending with a right side row.
Cut yarn.
Slip the Left Collar stitches onto the circular needles (see photo, above). Then, with the right side facing you, use the left-hand end of the needles to slip the Right Collar stitches onto the needles. Slide each set of stitches to their respective ends of the needles, and hold the two needles parallel with the wrong sides of the fabric together. Thread the long tail onto a tapestry needle and use Kitchener Stitch to graft the Left and Right Collar stitches together.
With the right side facing, slip the 14 (16, 18, 20, 21) 16 on-hold Front Left Shoulder stitches onto the shorter circular needles. Join yarn and with left-end of needles, pick up 38 (40, 42, 42, 44) Back Neck stitches along the bottom edge of the Collar (pick up approximately at 3 out of every 4 rows). Cut yarn. Lastly, slip the 14 (16, 18, 20, 21) Front Right Shoulder stitches onto the left-end of the needles. Set this aside while you finish the Back. [66 (72, 78, 82, 86) stitches]
Slip the 74 (84, 92, 100, 108) on-hold Back stitches onto longer circular needles. Join yarn to wrong side and…
Next Row (wrong side): Purl to end of row.
Decrease Row 1 (right side): K4, ssk, knit to last 6 stitches, k2tog, k4. [2 stitches decreased]
Decrease Row 2: P4, p2tog, purl to last 6 stitches, p2tog tbl, p4. [2 stitches decreased]
Repeat Decrease Rows 1 and 2 zero (one, one, one, two) more times. [70 (76, 84, 92, 96) stitches remain]
Repeat Decrease Row 1. [68 (74, 82, 90, 94) stitches remain]
Next Row (wrong side): Purl to end of row.
Repeat Decrease Row 1 every right side row 1 (1, 2, 4, 4) more time(s) [66 (72, 78, 82, 86) stitches remain]
Work evenly in stockinette stitch…
Row 1 (wrong side): Purl to end of row.
Row 2 (right side): Knit to end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 7 ? (7 ?, 8 ?, 8 ?, 9 ?) inches from the Underarms, ending with a right side row.
NOTE: For this portion of the pattern, you will once again be working back and forth in short rows.
Row 1 (wrong side): Purl to last 4 (5, 6, 7, 7) stitches, wrp-t.
Row 2 (right side): Knit to last 4 (5, 6, 7, 7) stitches, wrp-t.
Row 3: Purl to last 8 (10, 11, 13, 14) stitches, wrp-t.
Row 4: Knit to last 8 (10, 11, 13, 14) stitches, wrp-t.
Row 5: Purl to last 13 (15, 17, 19, 20) stitches, wrp-t.
Row 6: Knit to last 13 (15, 17, 19, 20) stitches, wrp-t.
Row 7: Purl to end of row, working wrapped stitches with their wraps as you come to them.
Row 8: Knit to end of row, working wrapped stitches with their wraps as you come to them.
Row 9: Purl to end of row.
Armhole measures approximately 7 ? (8, 8 ?, 9, 9 ?) inches at side edge.
Cut yarn, leaving a 48-inch tail for joining.
Turn work so that Back faces you and yarn for grafting is on the right-hand side, ready to work from right to left. With tail threaded onto a tapestry needle, use Kitchener Stitch to graft the Back stitches to the Front Shoulder and Back Neck stitches.
If you aren’t up for working Kitchener Stitch across 66 (72, 78, 82, 86) stitches, you can use the 3-Needle Bind Off method instead.
First, turn the piece inside out and orient your work with the right sides of the fabric facing one another and the needles parallel.
Slide both sets of stitches to the right-hand end of the needles. Then, using the left-hand end of the longer needles as the working needle and the 48-inch tail as the working yarn, work 3-needle bind off, purlwise…
Next Row: P2tog (1 stitch from back needle together with 1 stitch from front needle) as follows: Insert the needle purlwise through the first stitch on the back needle, then purlwise through the first stitch on the front needle, and then purl these 2 stitches together, *p2tog (1 stitch from back needle together with 1 stitch from front needle), slip first stitch on right needle over stitch just worked and off the needle (binding off 1 stitch), repeat from * to end of row. [1 stitch remains on right needle.]
Pull tail through last stitch.
NOTE: Do the following for each Armhole.
With the right side facing you, join yarn at center of Underarm and use the shorter circular needles to pick up stitches around the Armhole, binding off as you go. Here’s how…
Pick up 1 stitch, *pick up 1 stitch, slip first stitch on right needle over stitch just picked up (binding off 1 stitch), repeat from * to end of round. [1 stitch remains on right needle]
Cut yarn and pull tail through last stitch.
Tip: Beginning at the center of the Underarm stitches, pick up 1 stitch for each Underarm stitch; then working up the Armhole to the Shoulder, pick up 1 stitch in 3 of every 4 rows; continue in this fashion down the other side of the Armhole; and then pick up 1 stitch for each Underarm stitch back to where you started.
NOTE: I used exaggeratedly loose stitching and a contrast yarn for demonstration purposes.
The vertical seaming technique I use here isn’t too different from Mattress Stitch, except that rather than placing the two pieces of fabric side-by-side, you overlap them. And rather than drawing the needle under ladders on the left side, you draw them over. You can check out our Mattress Stitch Tutorial if you think it may help, or just continue reading…
Thread a length of yarn onto a tapestry needle and overlap the Right Front over the Left Front.
Begin by bringing the threaded tapestry needle through the Left Front from back to front, 5 knit columns over from the I-cord edge and at the cast-on edge.
Draw the needle through the Right Front, from back to front, 5 knit columns over from the I-cord edge and at the cast-on edge. Bring the needle back through the fabric 2 stitches above the previous exit point.
Draw the needle under 2 ladders on the Left Front (2 stitches above the previous exit point) and then back through the Right Front again (2 stitches above the previous exit point)…
Continue working back and forth. Every 5 or so stitches, gently tug on the working yarn, drawing the Fronts together.
Seam the Fronts until you reach where the Neckline shaping begins.
Weave in the ends and block as desired.
评论